Dual Slice Bread Machine with Living Hinge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bread slicing machines create parallel slices, making it inconvenient to prepare single slice sandwiches, as each slice must be recut, which is inefficient for users looking to minimize carbohydrate intake or requiring less caloric intake.
Innovation Solution
A dual slice bread machine with a bread cutting assembly featuring an actuating rack with regularly spaced knives that creates vertical slits in a loaf, allowing for easy folding and separation of slices, combined with a conveyor system and a conventional bread slicer to produce slices with a living hinge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional bread slicing machines create parallel slices, then the bread can be sliced efficiently into multiple equal thickness slices, but it becomes inconvenient to prepare single slice sandwiches as each slice must be recut
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides each bread slice into two sections by creating a perpendicular cut through the center of the slice, forming a hinge structure. This segmentation allows the slice to be folded in half to create a single slice sandwich, eliminating the need for additional cutting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a second cutting dimension perpendicular to the conventional slicing direction. While conventional slicers only cut parallel to the loaf length, this invention introduces perpendicular cuts that create hinges, enabling new sandwich preparation methods without sacrificing the original slicing capability.
2Ease of operation
If perpendicular cuts are added to create living hinges in each slice, then single slice sandwich preparation becomes convenient, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines the conventional parallel slicing mechanism with a perpendicular cutting mechanism into a single integrated device. The actuating rack with knives is positioned to work in conjunction with the existing slicer, allowing both cutting functions to be performed in one operation without requiring separate machines.
Solution Approach 2:
The bread cutting machine is designed to perform multiple functions: it can create traditional parallel slices, add perpendicular hinge cuts, and accommodate different loaf sizes and types. The actuating rack system can be adjusted to create various cutting patterns, making the device versatile for different sandwich preparation needs.
3Manufacturing precision
If an actuating rack with regularly spaced knives is used to create vertical slits, then the living hinge structure is formed, but the manufacturing complexity of the cutting assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The knives on the actuating rack are pre-positioned at regular intervals corresponding to the expected slice locations. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the rack is actuated, the perpendicular cuts are automatically made at the correct positions to create hinges in the center of each slice, eliminating the need for complex real-time positioning systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The regular spacing of knives on the actuating rack is designed to automatically align with the slice positions as the bread moves through the machine. The system uses the existing slicing rhythm and bread conveyance to self-position the perpendicular cuts, reducing the need for additional sensors, motors, or complex control mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A dual slice bread machine for cutting slits into loaves of bread perpendicular to a conventional bread slice. The present system has an actuating rack having a series of regularly spaced piercing knives mounted thereon. The actuating rack is configured to be raised and lowered automatically. In use, a loaf of bread is placed underneath the actuating rack. When the actuating rack is lowered, the knives puncture the loaf, creating a series of vertical slits along the length of the loaf. The loaf is then cut with a conventional bread slicing machine where the slices alternate between a slice that dissects a vertical slit and a cut that is positioned exactly in between two adjacent vertical slits. This creates a loaf with slices having a centered living hinge capable of being easily folded and separated into equal halves.